Apparently his family didn't think much of him and wanted to tell the world:

Quote:

"Leslie Ray 'Popeye' Charping was born in Galveston on November 20, 1942 and passed away January 30, 2017, which was 29 years longer than expected and much longer than he deserved. Leslie battled with cancer in his latter years and lost his battle, ultimately due to being the horses he was known for. He leaves behind 2 relieved children; a son Leslie Roy Charping and daughter, Shiela Smith along with six grandchildren and countless other victims including an ex wife, relatives, friends, neighbors, doctors, nurses and random strangers.

"At a young age, Leslie quickly became a model example of bad parenting combined with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive. Leslie enlisted to serve in the Navy, but not so much in a brave & patriotic way but more as part of a plea deal to escape sentencing on criminal charges. While enlisted, Leslie was the Navy boxing champion and went on to sufficiently embarrass his family and country by spending the remainder of his service in the Balboa Mental Health Hospital receiving much needed mental healthcare services.

"Leslie was surprisingly intelligent, however he lacked ambition and motivation to do anything more than being reckless, wasteful, squandering the family savings and fantasizing about get rich quick schemes. Leslie's hobbies included being abusive to his family, expediting trips to heaven for the beloved family pets and fishing, which he was less skilled with than the previously mentioned. Leslie's life served no other obvious purpose, he did not contribute to society or serve his community and he possessed no redeeming qualities besides quick whited sarcasm which was amusing during his sober days.

"With Leslie's passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend. No services will be held, there will be no prayers for eternal peace and no apologizes to the family he tortured. Leslie's remains will be cremated and kept in the barn until 'Ray,' the family donkey's wood shavings run out. Leslie's passing proves that evil does in fact die and hopefully marks a time of healing and safety for all."

Sounds like one of those guys that's a lot of fun for the first four drinks, and then things go south quickly. If I was in the neighborhood, I'd love to have a few beers at his old hang-out, just to catch a few stories.

The woman who wrote the statement, who asked not to be identified, released the following statement to Eyewitness News:

"I wrote my father's obituary. I loved my father because he was my father and his passing would not have been any less difficult had he been a good father. As someone that 'hated a liar', I believe even he would have appreciated the honesty. I apologize to anyone that my father hurt and I felt it would have been offensive to portray him as anything other than who he was. This obituary was intended to help bring closure because not talking about domestic violence doesn't make it go away!

"Thank you to those that have offered sincere condolences, understanding and prayers for our family, your words bring comfort. I am happy for those that simply do not understand, this means you had good parent(s) -- please treasure what you have.

"Although I appreciate everyone's concern, it would have been much more appreciated at any time during my childhood. For those being cruel, please remember that you now resemble my father and I would be more than happy to pen your obituary as well."

I read a quick article about it. Happened in Texas. A family member who wished to remain anonymous said the family wanted to bring attention to domestic violence issues.

We'll see how much money they make off this and how much they turn over to domestic violence organizations.

I don't think being mean is a way to deter being mean. Nor do I see them as role models for those caught in such a situation. Presuming all is truthful, a whole family tolerated this for decades. That's not bravery. I'm going to bet he was a meal ticket and whatever harm he brought, they willingly tolerated rather than become independent.

Maybe it will play out in a way, I'll change opinion but that's how I see it with what's been told in this thread.